So, you’re telling me there’s a chance!
In the classic comedy, Dumb & Dumber, Lloyd demonstrates the epitome of optimistic thinking when his crush, Mary, gives him a hard truth. Forced to answer the uncomfortable question of whether the two of them could conceivably end up together, Mary admits the odds are “not good”. In fact, it is “like one in a million”, she says. To which Lloyd responds after a moment of deep reflection, “So…you’re telling me there’s a chance.”
The Federal Reserve and its cadre of economists are currently hoping the economy will make a soft landing in 2023. They would like a way out of the painful inflation of 2022 and into a comfy low-inflation, positive growth environment. The Fed believes increasing short-term lending rates are just what is needed. Current economic conditions are responding a little like Mary, however. Current data suggests the odds of a gentle economic transition in 2023 are definitely “not good”.